Why To Plan Your Wedding Around Magic Hour

If you love natural light photography, trust me: you need to plan your wedding around magic hour. That appears to be a pretty bold, self-serving statement. I’m suggesting you plan your entire wedding, one of the most important events of your life, around one thing. The thing I happen to be most passionate about – photography. But hear me out.

Let’s keep it real: aside from perhaps your wedding attire or a dried bouquet, your images will be the only thing you will have to keep from your wedding day. They are of the utmost importance and should be treated with care & attention by both the photographer and you as the couple. Today’s post is about one way you can make sure those images turn out how you want & stand the test of time.

Natural light photography is based around the sun, and magic hour is when natural light photographers come alive. That means you will get some of the best portraits during this time. True, we can work wonders in open shade or on a cloudy day, but there is something extra special about the photos you’ll get during magic hour. And on your wedding day, don’t you want the extra special?

Here is how I suggest you plan your wedding around magic hour:

1. Know when the sun sets on your wedding day (I always tell my clients what time magic hour is!).
2. Plan the start time of your ceremony around magic hour if you plan to get married in the evening.
3. Do a first look (that is, seeing each other before the walk down the aisle). That way your portraits will take place during magic hour instead of after the ceremony when it will be dark outside.
4. If you don’t want to do a first look, but your ceremony is in the evening, move your ceremony start time up. Make sure you have at least an hour of light after the ceremony for bride and groom portraits and full wedding party portraits. You won’t necessarily need a full hour, but weddings tend to start late, and if that happens you want a buffer of sunlight before it’s dark outside.
5. If you are getting married earlier in the day, make sure to set aside time during your reception specifically for magic hour portraits. Work this time into your schedule so you aren’t scrambling to squeeze in these important photos the day-of.

Time to drive this point home: when you don’t plan your evening wedding with sunlight in mind, you will have to take portraits in the dark, most likely with flash. Flash photography has its place, but if you’re working with a natural light photographer, you aren’t going to get the same results you see in their portfolio if they end up having to use a flash. Do yourself & your precious photographic memories a favor: plan your wedding around magic hour.